Here
by poor-ophelia
Summary: RM, SOC...Marrisa's cousin Tasha, Seth's oldest friend moves in with the Coopers, but will friendship be tested when secrets come out?
1. Default Chapter

Ryan ambled slowly down the paved driveway, his blond hair dishevelled and gorgeous, and his eyes dark with remembrance of a time not so safe, or peaceful, and silently, he thanked whatever was up there for saving him. Leaning on the stucco pillar, he lit a cigarette, and inhaled deeply, thinking, "god, I needed this," as he savoured the flavour and exhaled a cloud of smoke.  
  
"What are you doing here, freak?" Ryan held back an aggravated reply, expecting another incident with Mr. Water-Polo, Captain Ass-hole himself, Luke, Marissa's boyfriend. Taking the cigarette from his lips slowly, he heard something unexpected.  
  
"Well, my pimp is after me 'cause I didn't turn enough tricks, and my drug money's run out, so I figured I'd come here and case the place, steal everything that wasn't nailed, down, you know, the usual." A sardonic feminine voice answered. Ryan flicked his cigarette aside and turned to watch the enfolding spectacle.  
  
"Why don't you take your teen-angst act somewhere it can be fully appreciated?" Luke returned, towering over the diminutive form, trying to intimidate. It was obvious to the silent bystander that he was not succeeding. The girl took a step forward, forcing Luke to step back, her long brown hair swaying slightly from the movement.  
  
"Any suggestions? Like maybe the place where this hetero-sexual façade you play is actually believable?" She threw back.  
"Ouch," Ryan mumbled quietly. Luke took a step forward, raising his hand, but she stood firm, and raised her chin, ready to take the blow if it fell. Seeing what was intended, Ryan rushed forward, about to intervene when Luke's hand dropped to his side, fist clenched in a white-knuckled rage.  
  
"You're lucky I'm dating your cousin," he snarled as he stalked off.  
  
"I could say the same about you," The girl, Marisa's cousin replied. Ryan stood, silent and still, contemplating the turn of events, and the apparently fearless female who stood before him.  
  
"Hi," Ryan offered, holding out his pack of smokes. "I'm Ryan," he added as an after thought.  
  
"Tasha." She told him, throwing him a wry grin. She had pretty, soft features, and beautiful sea-green eyes, her long, dark hair reaching nearly to her waist. She waved away the pack of smokes and told him politely, "no thanks. I don't smoke."  
  
"So you know that guy?" Ryan asked. Curiosity and caution played over his open face as he pointed his thumb at the door to the Coopers.  
  
She nodded, "I'd rather not,"  
  
Ryan answered with a laugh. Tasha chuckled a little too, and asked him if he'd already been formally greeted by the chairman of the Orange County Assholes welcoming committee.  
  
He laughed ruefully, "more than once," he admitted, shaking his head.  
  
"So where are you living?" Tasha inquired, brushing her bangs from her eyes. Ryan pointed down the driveway to the Cohen mansion, and marked how her face grew pale.  
  
"The Cohen's moved?" She breathed, a look of utter despair encompassing her expression.  
  
"No, no, of course not," he comforted, looking worriedly at her, "No, they took me in. They sort of adopted me," he said further, trying not to grin.  
  
A dazzling smile lit her face, and she said, "That's really nice, and just like them too. They're such great people,"  
  
"The best," Ryan answered gently.  
  
"So where are you from?" Tasha asked, interested.  
  
"Chino," He answered, expecting the same derogatory remarks that he got from everyone else, but she surprised him, yet again. He decided he liked it.  
  
"That's cool, I've never been there. Never been a lot of places actually. Not even Disneyland, but thems the breaks,"  
  
Ryan grinned, liking her decidedly. She wasn't like Marisa, where she seemed so fragile, so breakable, so in need of care and comfort. He could hardly have thought her to be Marisa's cousin, they were so different. This girl was funny, and she was kind. And, he noted, she seemed the type to get back on her feet and stand, no matter what. Ryan respected that, he respected it greatly. "So how about you?"  
  
"Me? Where do I come from? Canada, actually Montreal." She specified, and seemed to be a bit distracted. "listen, Ryan, about Seth.have you seen him at all?"  
  
Ryan turned around in a semi-circle, scanning the area, looking for his friend, and now, he supposed, his brother. "last time I saw him he was- I don't know, but he should be around, said he'd come and hang out while I had a smoke,"  
  
"Oh," Tasha replied, her spirits somewhat dampened but cheerful nonetheless, "Do you like him?"  
  
"Yeah. He's a good guy. I think he's the best friend I ever had, actually," he told the petit girl truthfully.  
  
Smiling warmly, her reply was cut off.  
  
"Hey, Ryan! Sorry buddy-"the patter of feet on concrete went quiet, and Tasha's gaze was fixed above his shoulder.  
  
A soft, yearning question broke the pregnant silence "Tasha?" 


	2. The story

Ch2  
  
"Surprise," She whispered her eyes glassy with unshed tears. The bewilderment in Seth's face grew into wonder and joy as he raced down the concrete and threw his arms around her in an embrace, holding her tightly.  
  
"I missed you so much," She sobbed into his shoulder, the tears she shed on his striped polo shirt darkening the fabric. His arms closed tighter, drawing her closer to him.  
  
A cry of pain erupted from her throat, abruptly cut off as she closed her mouth tight.  
  
Seth's expression was suspicious, his eyebrows knit as he asked her in all solemnity, "What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing, it's nothing," Tasha lied as she looked into the face of her closest friend, knowing he could see through all that, knowing he could see past it, and still she lied, still she tried to protect *him*, and she did it in vain.  
  
Stepping back, Seth became at once serious and unrelenting. "Where?" he pulled up the sleeves of her sweater, and dark bruises marred her skin. Seth's mouth drew into a tight line, "what did he do?" he questioned thickly, and pulled up the bottom of her shirt, exposing her midriff. She wept, wept fiercely but allowed him to carry on with his relentless inspection, he wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't find it, but she'd be damned if she helped him.  
  
Ryan gasped at her allowing Seth to take such liberties with her; most girls barely let him come two feet, at least the girls around here. Ryan was grasping for reasons to Seth's apparent insanity when he uttered in a thick gravely voice, "oh god. I'll kill him," Seth continued passionately.  
  
Tasha wiped her eyes and hiccupped and said, "It was my fault. He came home, and the kitchen wasn't clean, I should have cleaned it as soon as I got in, but I didn't have time, I hadn't been home all day, and then Daddy walked in and he screamed at me because it wasn't done, and then I was so stupid, I was so stupid, oh Seth, I was so angry," She sobbed, clutching his arm through his shirt, willing him to understand. His dark eyes grew darker still, and sadder.  
  
"I told him it wasn't my mess, and that he was a grown man and he should know how to take care of himself by now," She continued, sniffling and shaking. Ryan wondered if his initial impression of her was wrong, if she really was as strong and fearless as she seemed.  
  
She paused, collecting herself, and drying her eyes, her voice growing disconnected. "He hit me then, and I fell against the wall. I was okay though, so I got up, and I belted him right on the side of the face. I thought he could taste a bit of his own medicine for once. Then he backhanded me.I hit the wall again, my head this time. I was so dazed I didn't move in time. He kicked me, hard, here," she pulled up her shirt, showing him the purple bruise on her side.  
  
His dark eyes despaired as he looked upon her, and he pulled her to him, gently, and he stroked her hair, and whispered into it, "oh Tasha," she stayed there for a while, shaking and hiccupping and Ryan recalled his own beatings, and wanted to sooth her some how, but this was worse than he knew.  
  
Tasha pulled away, pushing her thick hair behind her ears, and still she continued with the telling of her ordeal. "I pushed myself away long enough to get up and I threw down a chair and tried to run out of the house. I was almost through the door when I turned around, and he had this knife in his hands, and I was so scared. I screamed, and then I couldn't turn the door knob, and he jumped at me, he looked like he wanted to kill me. Not just hurt me. I just can't forget his eyes, they didn't look human. He looked like an animal. I was so afraid-and then I finally got the door open, and I ran. I didn't even feel anything for two blocks, until I noticed the blood, and I felt to see how bad it was, and the knife," again she paused, her eyes wide and her skin ashen, and she said, "the knife, it was still there. And I screamed again, and I ran to the first house I got to, and I don't remember anymore until the hospital. He missed my kidney by an inch. I couldn't go back, I couldn't go anywhere around him. And I had no one else. Not Mom, because he knew where she was, and I couldn't let him hurt her too. And there was no one else, I called Uncle Jimmy, and he wired the money, and I flew down." She trailed off, clutching onto Seth like a life- line, and he, carefully, set them both down on the side walk, and comforted her.  
  
"It wasn't your fault." She breathed deep, and her body shook slightly, but her color was back, and she looked stronger than she had during her retelling. "You're safe now. And hey," he joked, "on top of it all, I'm here, right, and how much of a plus is that?"  
  
her face was brightened by a grin and she hugged him fiercely. "I missed you,"  
  
"I missed you too." He answered. "How long are you staying?"  
  
"At least a year. Until the divorce is settled and the restraining order is through. Uncle Jimmy's gonna try to get Sandy to do it."  
  
"Don't worry, Dad wont waste a minute getting it through." Seth commended. Ryan hunkered down next to them, and with little ceremony and not much forethought, said exactly the right thing.  
  
"So, how many stitches?" 


	3. Some Set of Necessities

Ch3 The number of stitches was sixteen, she told them, as she was led into the Cohen household, greeted by joyful surprise by both Kirsten and Sandy, who were drying dishes in the kitchen. "Tasha?" Kirsten gasped, dropping her washcloth with a splash into the sudsy water, "I though Patricia and Jimmy weren't on speaking terms?" "Wonderful welcome Kirsten. She hasn't been here for a year and this is what you say?" Sandy asked, and then turning to Tasha held out his arms, into which she was soon enfolded into a quick hug, towel still in hand. "How you doing Kiddo! Long time no see!" Kirsten then stole her, and apologized for her idiocy, and held her an arms length away. "You've grown up so much! Hasn't she Sandy?" Tasha was not the only one mortified at that moment. All three teenagers cringed. "She's still the kid with the skinned knees to me," Sandy told her kindly, ruffling her thick dark hair. Kirsten then turned to Seth. "Hasn't she Seth?" Seth completely horrified and now hued a deep crimson balked. "Mom!" He cried, despairing. He knew.he *had* to know, it was extremely obvious; she was most definitely ostensibly female, with an hour glass figure that would put Marilyn Monroe to shame. He almost bit his lip. What was this? Did his mother not have any idea that she could have put a gun to his head; the immediate danger was no different. "Well she has," Kirsten replied to her shame-faced son, who was so usually full of witty repartee, was now gestulating half-heartedly with his mouth agape. Her reply was greeted with stricken silence, and so followed up with her first question, "So have Patricia and Jimmy made up?" Taken aback by the sudden change in subject, Tasha simply blinked. "Mom, let it go, okay," Seth cautioned, taking Tasha's arm and pulling her out of the kitchen. "Well, no one gets past the firing squad unscathed." He told her. Tasha on the other hand was stifling a grin. "What was the big deal? Haven't I grown Seth?" She asked, batting her eyes at him. "You know what you are?" he asked, turning and walking backwards, pointing his finger at her in a mock accusing manner. "Not really. Enlighten me, oh wise one," Ryan watched the scene from the background, admiring the bantering of the two. "You, my friend, are a-OOOFFPH!" he exhaled, as he landed sprawled on his back across the stairs. "God got you back," She cautioned, watching as Ryan leant a hand to his stumbling friend. "For what?" He questioned, agitated, brushing his shirt with his hands, carefully watching his step, to the amusement of both Tasha and Ryan. "For what you were about to say," She told him in a patronizing voice. "What, have you not grown past the age of six?" he asked, exasperated. "According to your mother I have grown, haven't I Seth?" She insinuated, smiling gleefully at trapping him within his own snark. "And we've come full circle," he replied, spreading his arms wide as he opened the door to his room. "Do you know what you women are? Nazis. Your like the fun-Nazis, you suck the fun right out of everything," he harrumphed, falling on his bed and scrounging beneath it. "Because the parental moment was the epitome of fun, especially when she asked you if I'd grown up any?" At that moment, for some reason, Seth lost his balance and fell, head first onto the comic-strewn floor. "Oow," he stated, lying on his back and rubbing his head. "I told you so," she concluded. "Told me what?" "God got you back." "So what if he did. He's a cruel, cruel God." The next few minutes were spent rummaging around the floor and under the bed for the newest Legion comic that Tasha was dying to borrow, which she in return, leant him the newest Ayasha No Ceres.   
They played video games, and Tasha bemoaned her bad luck at having ill-coordinated thumbs. "No, seriously, they're cursed! It's like they just don't want to win!"   
"Yes, I've heard of an affliction quite like that in some medical books, called, yousuckitis. Terrible really." Seth consoled.   
Ryan laughed, and Tasha playfully punched his arm. "Not you too, or I will be completely out numbered by dorks."   
"I will do my best to stray from the light that is dorkdom." He told her gravely.   
"We were too late to save Seth," She sighed, pretending to wipe a tear from her cheek. Ryan, put a hand up to his heart and made sniffling sounds.   
"Shut up you guys. I'm not a dork,"   
This of course, was greeted with dubious looks.   
"Okay, maybe I'm a little bit of a dork."   
"Just a tad," Tasha replied, looking at her watch. "Damn, I gotta go. See you tomorrow guys. It was really nice to meet you Ryan."   
She turned and wrapped her arms around Seth in a friendly goodbye, and he breathed in the smell of her, glad to have her back, for however long that would be.   
The two boys walked her to the door and waved as she crossed the yards.  
  
"So.has she grown?" Ryan asked an amused half grin on his face.   
"Oh hell yes. It's gonna be super hard to think of her as objectively female now. Especially after what mom said. Because she has grown.especially in the.mammary necessities." he told Ryan, motioning to his chest.   
"Oh hell yes. That is some set of mammary necessities," he agreed. 


End file.
